Aston Martin commits £20m to British factory expansion
Huge extension of Aston Martin’s Gaydon HQ will create 250 new jobs, promises ‘next generation of new sports cars’
Aston Martin is to invest £20m in expanding its car-making facilities at its global headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire. The company has announced the money will pay for the creation of 10,000 square meters of new chassis and assembly build-zones, plus new offices and an expanded parts and logistics storage area.
The completion date for the project is targeted in 2015, with Aston promising its business is preparing “to grow substantially” and “gearing up for its next generation of new sports cars”.
In addition to the facility expansion, Aston Martin will create 250 new jobs across its engineering, manufacturing and commercial spheres before the end of 2014.
The investment injection comes off the back of Mercedes-AMG’s tie-up with Aston Martin, announced in 2013. Aston will share Mercedes’ twin-turbo V8 engine technology in return for Daimler AG taking a 5% stake in Aston Martin’s ownership. Electrical systems will also be offered from the Mercedes parts bin.
Commenting on the Gaydon plant’s expansion, Aston Martin Chief Financial Officer, Hanno Kirner said: “The investment in our Gaydon HQ forms part of our long-term strategy which is focused around being the number one British luxury sports car brand.”
The ambitious ‘world-beaters’ goal was backed up by Keith Stanton, Aston Martin Manufacturing Operations Director: “We have the vision of being the best producer in the luxury sports car sector and a new facility, along with the support of our flexible, highly-efficient workforce, will enable us to achieve our goal.”The Gaydon expansion comes off the back of a £500m total investment plan outlined in 2012 by the British manufacturer’s foreign backers. Currently, Aston’s major focus is developing its DB9 replacement, which is set to go on sale in 2016.
The new DB9 will be the first showcase for Aston’s all-new car architecture, replacing the ‘VH’ aluminium structure that arrived with the Vanquish back in 2001, and has since supported the Vantage, DB9, DBS and Rapide.
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